Berlin Biennial Curators Critique Pandemic Inequities and Colonial Legacies in Virtual Seminar

Lisette Lagnado, a curator of the 11th Berlin Biennial, argued the pandemic deepened global inequities during the VI International Virtual Seminar ARTE! Brasileiros. The event, mediated by journalist Fabio Cypriano, included curators Agustín Pérez Rubio, María Berríos, Renata Cervetto, and artists Aline Baiana and Edgar Calel. Lagnado criticized the biennial's initial 2020 opening decision as violent, given artists in the Global South were in lockdown. She emphasized an ethical protocol against opportunism, referencing Rosa Luxemburg. The biennial's "most substantial chapter" began in September 2019 with community workshops in Berlin's Wedding neighborhood. Lagnado highlighted Marwa Arsanios's film trilogy "Who’s afraid of ideology?" as an example of ecological feminism. Aline Baiana presented her installation "The southern cross," critiquing the environmental crime in Mariana and the colonial symbolism of the Southern Cross constellation. Edgar Calel discussed his video "Sueño de obsidiana," a Mayan ritual performance in São Paulo's Bienal building, addressing anti-colonial resistance. Agustín Pérez Rubio described the biennial as one of "sensitive capital" and criticized German journalists for ethnocentric readings of works. He emphasized listening and restitution as non-extractive practices. A Goethe-Institut videoconference featured artists Osías Yanov and Castiel Vitorino, discussing pandemic-compromised projects and works addressing exoticization.